A Weak Week On The Road

I enjoyed an epic feast at Daddio’s Pizza with Hyder, his daughter Carly, and the PawSox Director of Security Rick Medeiros.

And . . . that’s about it.

It was a rough trip for the team as the PawSox went 1-6 and got outscored 27-8.

That’s not a misprint; the team scored a total of 8 runs on a 7-game trip.

Pawtucket got shutout in the last two games and has been blanked in 15 games this season (10 times in the last 56 games).

As a result, the PawSox are 10-games under .500 for the first time this year at 48-58, and a season-worst 12 games out of first place.

So why is manager Ron Johnson feeling optimistic these days?Because on paper, the lineup is starting to look pretty formidable.

Jeff Bailey is expected to be in the lineup on Monday night at McCoy Stadium as he begins a rehab stint with the PawSox.Bailey has been out of action since suffering a high ankle sprain on the 4th of July.

(photo courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)

When Bailey was called-up by Boston on June 30th, the PawSox were 6 games over .500 and 3 games out of first place.

“He brings a veteran presence to the ballclub and it’s a positive, business-like approach that I think the club has missed,” RJ told me.“At the same time, I love when he’s in the big leagues, but I’m just happy that he’s playing again.”

The PawSox have averaged fewer than 3 runs a game while losing 23 of their last 29 games, but RJ expects the scoreboard to start lighting up soon.

“With the acquisition of Brian Anderson to go with Chris Duncan, Chris Carter, and now Bailey, you might be looking at me strange, but I really think this last month at McCoy we could do some fun stuff,” Johnson said.

Monday night would be a great time to start.

* * * * *

The PawSox have tinkered with the rotation, as Charlie Zink has been penciled in to start Tuesday afternoon’s game against Scranton/WB.If Michael Bowden, Billy Traber, and Kris Johnson follow in the first three games of the Norfolk series, that would put Junichi Tazawa in line to start the “Futures at Fenway” game next Saturday afternoon.

If that happens, I suspect it would not be a coincidence.

* * * * *

The PawSox open a 6-game homestand on Monday night against Scranton/WB with Enrique Gonzalez on the mound.I hope you’ll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

2 comments

What on earth makes you think Chris Duncan is going to offer any help whatsoever to the lineup?! My goodness, haven’t you seen how badly he’s been hitting this year? Not to mention 2007 and 2008. The kid has flashes of ability but has proven he can’t sustain it over the long haul. Look at his minor league numbers from before he was put on the Cardinals 25-man. Look at his numbers when he was with the Cardinals. Never a full season. When he was good he was very good, but when he was bad–which happened FAR more often–he was godawful. His relationship with Tony LaRussa was the only reason he was kept on the Cardinals roster for so long.

About Me

I began writing this blog when I was a broadcaster for the Pawtucket Red Sox before leaving the team at the end of the 2011 season to become the radio voice of the Cincinnati Bengals. I am also the radio play-by-play announcer for University of Cincinnati football and basketball. Thanks to all of you who began reading this blog for content about Red Sox prospects. I will always cherish my time with the PawSox.
I still plan to write about baseball and will post all of my blog entries about the Bengals and Bearcats on this blog as well. I welcome your questions and/or comments at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.NFL.Net